Australia introduces mandatory pre-verification for online gambling

Operators are now required to verify the age and identity of customers.

Australia.- From September 28, all Australians registering for online wagering accounts have to undergo age and identity verification by operators prior to conducting transactions, replacing the previous 72-hour verification window. Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) says the move is part of efforts to promote responsible gambling, curb underage betting and ensure effective self-exclusion through BetStop.

Kai Cantwell, CEO of RWA, said: “RWA members already instantly verify more than 90 per cent of customers’ identities and ages, so this will bring the entire industry up to the standard that we already operate at.

“RWA has been a strong supporter of pre-verification and is pleased the Commonwealth Government has adopted it. Pre-verification provides online wagering operators the ability to continue to advertise the adoption of safer gambling tools, with customers prompted to set a deposit limit upon registration.

“RWA members provide a range of tools to ensure people can gamble safely, many of which have been adopted by the Commonwealth Government as part of the National Consumer Protection Framework (NCPF).”

Cantwell said the NCPF will be evaluated shortly. The announcement came in the same week in which the government announced that video games featuring gambling-like components will be restricted from September 2024. Also in September, legislation was introduced to ban the use of credit cards for online betting in Australia country following calls from anti-gambling groups and the Australian Banking Association (ABA).